"So, you dodged my attack with nothing but physical skills... Kid, you've got a few tricks up your sleeve, I'll give you that."
Adam slowly turned around, his massive warhammer swinging casually in his grip.
"But it's all just a futile struggle. The Nine Gates of Hell technique—I've heard of it before. I must say, I'm surprised you're capable of using it at your age."
"However," he continued, his voice dripping with condescension, "I also know the terrible toll it takes on the body. Especially on a weak little body like yours. Your legs must be trembling by now, aren't they? Burning, aching?"
Noah turned her head slightly, her eyes calm and unreadable. Adam couldn't tell if she was pretending to stay composed or was genuinely fearless in the face of certain death.
Ignoring his mocking words entirely, Noah turned forward again, clutching Helena tightly against her, and dashed at full speed in the direction they had been heading.
"Interesting. Fine, I'll play with you for a bit longer." As he spoke, Adam's hammer spun on its chain, whistling ominously through the air.
In this harrowing game of cat and mouse, where the difference in power was overwhelmingly vast, Noah gradually shed the primal fear that had gripped her at the start. Dodging his earlier lethal strike by the narrowest margin had ignited a small, stubborn spark of confidence within her.
"He's definitely an impossible opponent. But that doesn't mean escaping him is entirely hopeless."
Her father's advice echoed in her mind, a steady anchor in the storm: "In battle, if you hold on to even the faintest hope, it could be the key to turning the tides."
Noah didn't know what kind of desperate situations someone as powerful as her father would need to "turn the tides," but she clung to his words nonetheless.
Noah traded a few more frantic rounds with the hammer-wielding monster, darting and weaving through the dense forest with Helena in her arms. Finally, they slipped into a narrow grotto where the sound of a rushing waterfall masked their hurried breaths and helped conceal their scent.
Setting Helena down carefully against a mossy bank, Noah leaned against a damp rock, her chest heaving as she gasped for air.
"The Fourth Gate... Just as Adam said, this technique is taking a massive toll on my body," she thought, the ache in her muscles a fiery protest.
It was the first time Noah had pushed herself to maintain the Nine Hells Gate for so long. She typically used it for brief, explosive bursts, combining it with her "Lightning Thrust" to deliver a single, decisive strike. But it was painfully obvious now—this hammer-wielding monster wasn't someone she could take down with one move. Engaging him in close combat would be nothing short of suicide.
"Noah... are you okay?" Helena asked, her voice trembling with concern as she saw the fatigue etched on her friend's face.
Noah shook her head slightly, focusing on her breathing. "I just need a moment to rest."
She focused on calming her ragged breaths, trying to recover as quickly as possible. At the same time, she reminded herself of their singular goal.
"We're only a few hundred meters away from the outer zone. Just a little further, and we'll be out of here."
A few hundred meters. It didn't sound like much, but the journey to this point had already cost them nearly all their energy and precious time. Could they really make it?
Helena understood the grim reality of their situation. She sat on the damp ground, hugging her knees, and watched Noah quietly. Though Noah tried to maintain her usual cool and detached demeanor, Helena could see right through her—she was utterly exhausted.
Biting her lip, Helena seemed to come to a painful decision. Finally, she spoke, her voice soft but resolute.
"Noah... what if... what if you go on without me?"
Noah's brows furrowed instantly. "What nonsense are you talking about?"
"I'm not joking, Noah. I'm just slowing you down. Just now, you almost got caught several times because you were carrying me."
"If it weren't for me, you could have escaped already... So, I could stay back and buy you some time. Or... I could take another path out of the forest. We can meet at the entrance."
Helena wasn't just trying to be self-sacrificing. She truly believed, with every fiber of her being, that she was a burden, and that crushing guilt now drove her words. From the moment they entered the forest, Noah had been sustaining the incredibly demanding Nine Hells Gate technique. Seeing Noah's impossible speed earlier had made it crystal clear to Helena—if Noah didn't have to carry her, she could escape with ease. If only one of them could survive, it had to be Noah.
"Noah, I said—"
"Helena."
Noah's firm voice, softer than usual but laced with steel, interrupted her.
Adjusting her posture, Helena knelt properly in front of Noah, her expression solemn.
Noah blinked, confused by the gesture. "What are you doing...?"
"Do you remember what I said earlier? That I had something to tell you if we didn't make it out?"
Noah's pupils trembled slightly, but she nodded. "Yes, I remember."
Helena smiled a faint, sad smile. Slowly, she reached out and took Noah's small, calloused hand in her own soft ones. Her touch was gentle, like silk.
"Do you know why I wanted to be your friend?"
Noah shook her head, her silence an invitation to continue.
"Because in you, I see the person I want to be."
"I... don't understand," Noah said hesitantly.
Helena chuckled softly, a bittersweet sound, and lifted her gaze as if looking into the past.
"I grew up in a very strict dragon family. Every day, under my mother's watchful eyes, I studied magic, etiquette, and everything else she deemed important for a proper lady."
"Eventually, I became what everyone expected: a bland, obedient girl. When people mentioned me, they never used my name. I was always just 'Claudia's daughter.'"
"Before I met you, it felt like I was trapped in an invisible cage, unable to see any future for myself beyond its bars."
"Then, one afternoon, you came to me and asked if I'd team up with you for combat practice."
"You said no one else wanted to team up with you. I understood why—no one could keep up with you, and no one wanted to be shown up. And no one wanted to team up with me either, because I was always so gloomy and withdrawn."
Helena's voice softened further, her eyes misting with the intensity of the memory.
"But when I said yes, everything changed. We became best friends."
"You're different, Noah. You're free, you're resilient, you're unyielding. You never let anyone else's expectations define you."
"You're like a star, shining brightly in the night sky. I couldn't help but want to stay near your light."
"I've never regretted anything we've done together, Noah. Not a single thing. Including now."
"So, please... let me fight for you this time. I can't drag you down anymore. I can't... I won't..."
Slap—
Before Helena could finish, Noah's hand left hers and came up to gently slap her cheek, not in anger, but to shock her out of her despair.
Noah stood, then cupped Helena's face between her hands. With Helena kneeling and Noah standing, their positions had shifted, and Noah now gazed down at her, her expression fierce with determination.
"Helena..."
Soft droplets from the waterfall cascaded onto Noah's shoulders, the light breaking through the spray and scattering around them like tiny jewels.
Looking directly into Helena's watery blue eyes, Noah spoke with unwavering firmness.
"I hope all that nonsense you just said ends up in your next essay competition, because it's the most dramatic, foolish thing I've ever heard."
"W-what...?"
"I'm taking you out of here, Helena. We are not separating. Not now, not ever."
"But—"
BOOM!
"Ah, there you are, little princesses. You've made me work so hard to find you!"
Adam's massive hammer shattered part of the waterfall's edge, sending boulders tumbling down around them. One large rock hurtled straight toward where Noah stood.
"Noah, look out!!"
Helena threw herself at Noah, knocking her friend out of the way. They tumbled across the wet ground, just barely escaping the crushing impact of the boulder.
"Are you hurt, Noah?"
"No... I'm fine..." Noah said, pushing herself up.
"Good... ah..." Helena winced, clutching her leg.
"What's wrong? Are you hurt?" Noah's gaze fell on Helena's ankle, where blood now flowed freely from a deep gash caused by a sharp rock during their fall.
"Go, Noah! You have to go now!" Helena urged, gripping Noah's shoulders tightly despite her own pain.
"I'm not leaving you!"
"You stubborn idiot! If you stay, we'll both die!"
"I told you—we're leaving together!"
Adam's heavy footsteps grew closer, his voice chillingly calm. "Such touching sisterly love. It almost moves me. Don't worry—I'll make sure you die together."
Helena pushed Noah away and struggled to her feet, standing defiantly in front of Adam, shielding her friend. "Run, Noah! No matter what happens, don't look back!"
Adam raised his hammer high, a cruel grin splitting his features. "Time to crush you like the insignificant bugs you are!"
But as the hammer began its descent, a brilliant, pure white flame suddenly ignited from Noah's core, flooding the small grotto with its otherworldly light.
A voice, layered with a mature, ancient power that was not her own, echoed powerfully from Noah's lips.
"We strike, Noah!"
Adam's hammer descended with terrifying force, shaking the ground and causing the surrounding forest to tremble. His eye gleamed with the triumph of a predator, certain of his victory.
"Hah... finally crushed you into dust, you little brat—" His laughter stopped abruptly.
Something was wrong. The sensation in his hands was off; there was no satisfying crunch of bone.
A voice, now clearly layered with a mature and imperious tone, called out from behind him.
"It's been a while since I've properly stretched my muscles... let's fix that regrettable state of affairs."
Adam turned slowly, his expression darkening into a scowl. Emerging from the dissipating mist and spray was Noah, but her aura was now radiant, vast, and utterly otherworldly. A shimmering silhouette, glowing with soft, divine light, seemed to superimpose itself over her form amidst the gloom.
Adam's single eye narrowed, his instincts screaming at him—something fundamental had changed.
"People often say the hardest thing in any world to understand is true, selfless emotion," the layered voice spoke again, with a hint of philosophical curiosity. "I believe I just witnessed it. And yet, I still don't fully grasp its mechanics."
The figure within Noah took a step forward, a gesture of pure ownership. "There's one more thing I need to ask this little one. She has been most interesting."
"She can't die yet."
As the mist cleared further, a shaft of sunlight pierced through the canopy, breaking through the darkness and illuminating Noah's form. Her hands, small yet impossibly steady, opened slightly before clenching into tight fists. A visible ripple of white, purifying energy burst outward from her body, sending shockwaves through the area that made the very air hum.
Adam's grip on his hammer tightened, his smirk fading completely into a grimace of wary recognition.
"I have a piece of advice for you, hammer-wielding fool," the Ancestor's voice declared, carrying a regal weight that commanded attention.
"Never, ever corner your opponent."
Her piercing, ancient gaze locked onto Adam's single eye. "Because a creature pushed to the absolute edge, with everything left to lose, will find the strength to destroy everything in their path, including you."
With a sharp clap of Noah's hands, an explosion of pure, sacred white flames erupted around her, stretching high into the sky. The air itself felt sanctified, her presence like that of an avenging angel descending upon the battlefield.
Adam stepped back instinctively, for the first time in the entire fight, feeling a genuine, cold unease settle in his gut.
Noah stood tall, the ancestral power now fully aligned with her own fierce will, her aura burning brighter and more dangerously than ever before.
The Ancestor's voice, now fully in command, echoed with finality.
"Now, let's finish this, Noah!"
The light of her flames intensified, consuming the entire battlefield in a blinding, brilliant conflagration of power and retribution.